Why bother NBA? Part 1

A new NBA season is now underway, a season that followed a whirlwind summer of activity that has never been seen before. More big name players thought the grass was greener on the other side as there were some big free agent signings and some blockbuster trades as well. With all the movement though there is still one big question that just won’t go away.

Why bother?

If the Golden State Warriors are going to be the same team they have been (which is the team that has won 2 out of the past 3 NBA Championships, as well as having the NBA best season 73 win season) really, can anyone beat them? It doesn’t just stop with them either. Even with Kyrie Irving leaving the Cleveland Cavaliers, is anybody betting against LeBron James representing the East in the finals for the 8th straight year? Are we therefore headed for a fourth straight final of the Warriors vs the Cavs? Many fans and analysts seem to think so and have been speaking about it constantly. Trust me. The other 28 teams are fully aware of it. They are bothered by and maybe even pissed about it too. Ya think?

Impressive? Yes. The NBA is always fantastic with promotion but no matter how cool the video is, it still (my prediction) won’t stop the Golden State Warriors from defeating the Cleveland Cavaliers in this season’s finals. But just because I firmly believe we are heading to that conclusion, doesn’t mean the journey there won’t be any less exciting or any less intense.

How can an event be entertaining when the outcome is so predictable? Well ladies and gentleman, it still works professional wrestling. And just like the WWR there are still plenty of story lines to see unfold to make this season very interesting and exciting to watch. Here are just 5 of them.

Celtics vs Cavs

We didn’t have to wait long for the excitement to get going as the first question was answered on opening night. Flash back to this past summer when there was quite the rumbling about the aforementioned Irving stating that he wanted out of Cleveland. Why anyone would turn away from automatically punching a ticket into NBA Finals is beyond me, but that’s exactly what he did. But did anyone expect he would be traded to their Eastern rivals the Celtics? So the top two teams have a few new players to get into the lineup but how will this story play out. With Al Horford and newly acquired Gordon Hayward, the Celts were looking to take the next step.

But Boston did not only lose the opening game of the season 102-99 to the Cavs, they also lost Gordon Hayward. A gruesome, freak ankle injury in the first few minutes could sideline Gordon Hayward for the entire season. A real shame and very difficult piece to overcome. Give credit to them though, they did battle. They came back from a third quarter 18 point deficit to take the lead before Cleveland had a small run of their own to win by a basket. This rivalry is far from over.

Thunder vs Warriors

Another date to watch out for is November 22 when the Warriors’ Kevin Durant returns back to Oklahoma to face the Thunder. Durant was persona non grata last year when he visited his former team and it must irk Oklahoma fans even more to now see him with a ring. If you think it was explosive last year as the video shows, can you imagine what kind of game it will be if the Thunder could keep it close.

Well, OKC wasn’t quiet this offseason and have provided Russell Westbrook with some serious firepower. Flanking him this year will be superstars Paul George and Carmelo Anthony. That might not be enough to dethrone Golden State, but it ups the ante and will be much more of a battle and certainly worth watching. Thankfully this match up happens more than once as there will be two more matches in February as well.

In Part Two of Why bother NBA we will touch on three more reasons to stay tuned. The Chris Paul led Houston Rockets, the young up and coming Minnesota Timberwolves including Canada’s own Andrew Wiggins and finally, our very own Toronto Raptors all have something to keep you interested.